Holy crap did he go off. I'm suprised WWE.com let all of that slide, and I'm real excited about this book of his he keeps talking about. ENJOY!

J.R.'s last interview October 11, 2005

WWE.com: What did you think of what went down last night? Jim Ross: It was heartbreaking. I thought it was a sad end to 30 years of dedication to business. The way it ended was very abrupt.

WWE.com: If you had a choice, how would you liked to have left the company? Jim Ross: I would have liked to have had the opportunity to have one of those rare on-camera opportunities to sincerely and genuinely and honestly express my deep appreciation to all the fans who have become my extended family over the years. Itís a wonderful feeling when you get a 40-something year old guy with a teenage son and they watch Monday Night RAW together because the dad used to watch me on Mid-South wrestling when he was a kid or on TBS. They enjoy working in some of my clichťs like ďslobberknocker,Ē ďbusiness is about to pick upĒ or ďheís running like a scalded dog.Ē Iím happy Iíve gotten to contribute a little to some peopleís enjoyment. But Iíd like to have the opportunity to look into the camera and tell everyone ďthank you.Ē I probably, to my detriment, let it become too big a part of my life. I took pride in what I did. Some weeks the shows were great, and some weeks the shows sucked. It was up to me to try and make whatever we saw a little better than it actually was. Monday Night RAW wonít be a deal where I have my top 10 favorite moments. That would make for a wonderful TV special, but thatís not what it would be for me. I remember the emotional involvement and attachment I had with that brand and that show. When I had Bellís Palsy, I received thousands and thousands of cards. We got so many e-mails that it broke our server Ė because people cared about me. They care about me because they know Iím just like them, a lifelong wrestling fan.

WWE.com: Why do you think it happened? Jim Ross: I would say itís egotistically driven. Vince is hell-bent on having a fresh, new face that hasnít had Bellís Palsy or have a Southern accent sitting in the chair on RAW. This company is like any other entertainment company. You put looks and youth over skill and experience almost every time. I think this was a cop out. I think he just wanted a new voice for RAW, and I think he quite frankly didnít think J.R. would have become as popular as he did. It certainly wasnít Vinceís plan. Heís out of touch. He hasnít been to the grocery store since George Bush, Sr. was president. Hereís a guy that takes a limo to get his haircut every week, and heís trying to tell me about reality.

WWE.com: The Ross Report is now also gone. Do you have any message for your WWE.com fans? Jim Ross: I appreciate all of the dot com fans for checking it out. I always tried to be honest. That was first and foremost in my mind. I got 25,000 e-mails on my computer right now asking questions about various types of things. Itís just hard to believe that someone can spend 30-plus years of their life, endure sickness and death, and continue to persevere, the way the company showed me the door would be such a humiliating and embarrassing situation. I believe that there are many, many more issues to deal with other than who the announcers are. How many Bra and Panties Matches can you see? How different can they get? Theyíre all going to have big breasts. Theyíre all going to have a pair of bra and panties on. The only difference is what color theyíll be. We have to get back to wrestling. We have to get back to aggressive physicality. We have some guys in this business right now that donít have a clue of why theyíre there. Then we have a little bit of wonderful talent that needs to be emphasis of rebuilding this company and getting it rolling. Itís going to be built by physicality, aggression, suspense and drama. Itís not going to be built by becoming the action adventure show that empowers the audience to enjoy the humor and the sexuality. There are very few things in life worse than a wrestler trying to be an actor. It gets to be humiliating and embarrassing. I think wrestlers should wrestle. If they have a personality, then you exploit it. If they donít have a personality theyíre encouraged to find one or find another vocation. Iíve endured wrestlers having sex with corpses, 80-year-old women giving birth to hands, and that is what we perceive to be entertaining. I look at this chapter closing and beginning a new chapter.

WWE.com: Have you talked to Stone Cold Steve Austin since last night? Jim Ross: I havenít talked to him yet, but I plan on talking to him later today.

WWE.com: Whatís next for J.R.? Jim Ross: Iíd like to keep that confidential. I have several options in mind. Itís probably going to surprise some people. I have a lot of friends in the media that are interested in me. I have some radio opportunities, some football opportunities, some political opportunities. Iíll do a lot of exploration of things and move on. Iíll probably write a book. And the book will be the truth. Iíve been taking meticulous notes for 30 years. I have box after box of material for a book. It will not only be authentic, but it will be eye-opening. Thereís a great side of our business that I love, truly. There are great friends Iíve made that I will have forever. To say that the wrestling business doesnít have an ugly underbelly, though, would be a lie. If we donít get back to doing more sports than entertainment, then weíre going to continue to be in the same rut weíre in now. Iím hoping one of these great young studs we have on the roster will demand the ball. Not just request it, but demand the opportunity to lead this company back to prominence like it was during the Stone Cold and Rock years. I feel very good about my track record. I hired Austin, I hired The Rock, I hired Mick Foley, I hired Kurt Angle. I think Iíve carried my share of the load. I have nothing to look back on and regret other than being utterly humiliated the last time I was on television. Thatís the last memory. It wonít be a WrestleMania moment. It wonít be the first voice you hear at WrestleMania, it wontí be the last voice you hear on Nitro, it wonít be calling a classic Austin moment. It will be me holding my testicles, lying in the ring with the McMahons celebrating. That will be my lasting memory and I donít believe that to be fair. It will take some time to get over it, but I donít want people to feel sorry for me. Maybe theyíll get a nice fresh-faced pretty boy that doesnít know a wristwatch from a wristlock. WWEís reputation for finding star announcing talent over recent years hasnít been exactly sterling. Maybe thereís somebody else that wants me in the wrestling business. And if they do, Iíll talk to them. I donít see myself coming back to WWE unless cooler heads prevail. The Osbournes are certainly closer to the Cleavers than they are to the McMahons. Some day theyíll get what they deserve. I believe in karma. The Good Lord has a way of evening things out.

WWE.com reads so much like an Apter mag now that my main feeling coming out of this is that JR didn't say or write one word of this. I'll look forward to his return to WWE programming in December or January.

Yeah... I wouldn't put it past WWE to be working us with the entire JR situation. For all we know, WWE deliberately leaked the news that they were seeking Mike Goldberg or another replacement for Ross. Of course the names Joey Styles and Tony Schiavone have been thrown around, too.

But I'd be very surprised if WWE's on-screen "firing" of JR indicates a firing in fact. They could be doing this to get him some time off, and attempt to bring him back in a way that'll bring some heat. Or he could legitimately be done with the head announcer position, moving to the front office voluntarily. Maybe he's moving to the front office involuntarily, or maybe he actually has been fired.

The truth is, we simply don't know, but after the situation with Matt Hardy, I wouldn't put any kind of "work" past WWE.

"I am here to use my frabjulitulity to mictifarcate your giltooney! Lo! My junurtiquity is most biollorky! Bask in the power of my meckalecka-hi, meckahiney-ho!"--Elan, The Order of the Stick

I think the one thing I have learned since I got "smart" about wrestling and that we have all heard guys like Keith and Samuda and Scaia and Hyatte and even our beloved Dictator say that if it is on TV (or in this case, their Internet site) it's a work. It's a work. Bosses don't kick their employees in the balls as they fire them. It's grounds for a huge lawsuit. Jim Ross was a willing participant. Could this be his permanant out from TV - possibly. But, like Sugar Shane, I doubt it seriously. Like I said, get SCSA, maybe Shane, maybe even The Rock, pop the crowd and come back.

January/February sounds about right to me.

(edited by AWArulz on 11.10.05 2334)We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.

My take on it? JR *is* leaving, but its probably more of a retirement deal than it is a firing. He agreed to do last night's nonsense in return for a "proper" send-off, perhaps a few months down the road. In the meantime, WWE develops someone else to take his place so by the time he's really finished with the company, there's another suitable replacement already there.

WWE saw all the talk on the net (or perhaps like ekedolphin said, they leaked it themselves) and decided to make the most of the opportunity.

Or... uh, what they THINK was making the most of the opportunity. Whatever.

Okay ... so I've caught up with my tape of Raw, and looked over the last week or so of news board posts..

About a week ago, all I knew is that they were negotiating with the UFC guy, who I've never seen. But thinking it over, I decided that while an announcer change would suck for me personally - I could see the logic of younger announcers, to attract the younger demographic they crave. In concept, I was prepared for this.

But now that they appear to have lost their man in Goldberg (did he ask for too many perks? refused to work house shows?) I'm left wondering what the hell 'Plan B' is. I'm willing to say that Cole is adequate now, but I can't exactly see him calling the main event at a Wrestlemania yet - so color me skeptical. Both that Ross is legit gone, or that they have anyone to replace him if this is the actual deal.

In the end, it sure seems set up as an angle, so I'm keeping an open mind, but if it's just J.R. 'doing the honors' on his way out, it's a lousy piece of business, this send off.

One other point (and apologies if I missed this in another thread) - but this wwe.com Raw telecast - is the plan to eventually do a full weekly live webcast? And if not, can USA Network be all that happy that their 'business partner' is actively working to interest people in *not watching the commercials? (Even if The E is no longer getting direct ad revenue, it hardly seems cricket)

Originally posted by AWArulzIt's a work. Bosses don't kick their employees in the balls as they fire them. It's grounds for a huge lawsuit. Jim Ross was a willing participant.

More importantly, I think Vince has more sense to practically gift-wrap JR for TNA. If they wanted to really fire JR, they'd do it quietly so as not to help publicize his jump to the competition. Doing an overblown angle that makes JR seem extremely sympathetic (and makes WWE seem really annoying) only plays into the hands of whoever gets to book JR's next appearance. So it makes no sense to do the angle unless that next appearance is with WWE.

Then again, what is JR's position with the company? Johnny Ace took over his behind-the-scenes duties, and he can't do the Ross Report thanks to this angle. Unless he's rehired in the storyline he hasn't exactly got much of a job in real life either.

Work. If that really is JR giving that interview, though, he did a really good job of suspending disbelief. It's possible that JR maybe sat down with McMahon and came up with that, or that they had some writers put that up there. WWE.com has been doing a LOT of stuff to their website recently to drive up hits, and I think this is a part of that.

Of course a boss in the real world isnt going to slap you across the face & kick you in the nuts when they're firing you (duh), but that doesnt stop me from thinking Ross is actually leaving.

My guess is that Vince really is in the market for a younger looking announce team and Ross' contract is probably up in a few months. So he let's Ross go now, makes an (unfortunately crappy) angle out of his departure, then spends the next few weeks/months trying to find someone to replace him. Like someone else In This Very Thread has already suggested, they have a few guys on staff right now that can sub for him until they decide on someone permanent. Maybe they'll have Cole do double-duty for awhile or something.

Originally posted by DJ FrostyFreezeRoss' contract is probably up in a few months.

Bob Ryder over at the 1Wrestling says his contract runs threw October of next year:

Originally posted by 1WJim Ross is under contract through an employment agreement with WWE through October 29, 2006 according to recent corporate filings by WWE. According to the filings, Ross was compensated $394,615 in salary for fiscal year 2005 and received a bonus that totaled $224,750 for the same period. The employment agreement lists Ross' current salary at $300,000 per year. In addition he is entitled to participate in the "pool of fees paid by the Company to talent for live events". He also receives royalties for items containing his name and/or likeness. If the agreement is terminated without cause he is entitled to one year's continued salary.

In addition to the above compensation, Ross also holds a substantial amount of WWE stock and also has stock options to buy more.

Nothing like de-bunking your own post - I looked it up, and Cole has called two WM main events (although I believe the first was only because of JR's bells palsy, and JR was feeding Cole lines that night)

Because no one asked for it, here are your Wrestlemania main event broadcast crews through the years:

And given it looks somewhat remote that the SmackDown side will produce the big match in Chicago '06, it could be that they are about to hire or promote the sixth man to call play-by-play for a Wrestlemania main event. But this only makes me more confident that JR will return, as this is not the right part of the schedule to break-in someone new.

But with Shane being the only McMahon not to crap on JR, could he still have enough babyface appeal to take over the post as head announcer? He could always say he refused to come out etc and come off as the good guy, or at least the not-so-bad guy. It is just Shane following in his father's footsteps as an announcer, he is relatively young and fresh enough to be RAW's new play by play guy... right?

Originally posted by MonteMaybe I am looking too far into this (probably)...

But with Shane being the only McMahon not to crap on JR, could he still have enough babyface appeal to take over the post as head announcer? He could always say he refused to come out etc and come off as the good guy, or at least the not-so-bad guy. It is just Shane following in his father's footsteps as an announcer, he is relatively young and fresh enough to be RAW's new play by play guy... right?

He didn't set the world on fire when he was the play-by-play when Heat first debuted as the secondary show, prior to the debut of SD.I think the funny part of the JR stuff was all the job offers he'd get in football: I'm sure people really would be knocking down the door for the Voice of the XFL. Plus, most football outlets already have voices for this season. Of course, maybe part of Vince's deal with USA/NBC is that Jim Ross becomes the voice of Sunday Night Football alongside John Madden. Ross and Madden: Mute Buttons of the World Unite.

Am I the only one who thinks Josh Mathews is the best announcer they have right now? Yeah, I probably am, but they are looking for younger talent. If he stays on Velocity he is going to be forever labeled as second rate even if he isn't.

Originally posted by JacksonAm I the only one who thinks Josh Mathews is the best announcer they have right now? Yeah, I probably am, but they are looking for younger talent. If he stays on Velocity he is going to be forever labeled as second rate even if he isn't.

I'd say he's the best play by play announcer. I think Tazz is the king of announcing any day of the week. However, back in the good ole days of Velocity when Matthews/Tazz were teamed, my word, that was good commentary.

I was going to keep this all to myself, but since it has been brought up, here goes.

This could be all a MASSIVE work. Here is what we know...

VKM announced that someone was getting fired over the Austin incident(but not Austin, but is Austin even working for them now?). Soon after, Internet rumors appear saying that Jim Ross is being forced into retirement and the WWE is negotiating with Mike Goldberg of the UFC.

Internet rumors claim that Goldberg cannot refuse the huge increase in pay even though his friends warn him about working for WWE. (these rumore sound awful fishy to me).

Friday night, UFC 55. Mike Goldberg was not working! Without explanation, there was a new announcer next to Joe Rogan at Octagonside.

At this point, it seemed as though the rumors were true.

Later it was said that he had prior engagements, but what could be more important than his freaking job! The next day(saturday) Goldberg was working for FSN on their college football halftime and post game shows...

JR is fired Monday night and internet rumors announce that Goldberg had turned down the offers from WWE.

I realize that this is very far fetched and I realize that as of now, if all this is true, the point of this "work" is completely unclear. But it just seemed so odd to me that Goldberg wasn't working UFC 55 on Friday night. How does he miss this event? It just seemed too coincidental.

A WWE/UFC organizated angle just seems too intriguing not to ponder...

Yeah, at WMXV, they had about 5 intros for the main event. Ross returned after being screwed by the Corporation for a while, then Vince, then Michaels, then Rock, then Austin.

While this may all be a work, I think they are legitimately working with the goal to replace Ross, and are doing a storyline to send Ross off. I think he'll be back and that we haven't seen the last of this angle. He may be off TV for a few weeks, but when the storyline calls for it, he'll do another big show or two.